Detroit Pistons have flatlined while Orlando Magic have risen. What the heck happened?

ORLANDO — Judging solely off Friday’s final score, 123-91, you’d be surprised to know the two teams were right next to each other in the standings fewer than 2 years ago.

The Detroit Pistons finished the 2021-22 season with a 23-59 record.

The Orlando Magic were a spot lower at 22-60 — the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and second worst in the NBA.

Yet the difference between the two squads couldn’t be more stark just a season-and-a-quarter later.

The Magic crushed the Pistons on Friday, and that’s putting it lightly. The Pistons were blitzed by a 46-26 run that gave the Magic control by halftime, and then allowed a 22-7 run in the third that decisively put the game away early. The 32-point defeat is the Pistons’ biggest loss of the season. It was also the first time they were held below 100 points.

Orlando improved to 15-7 to remain in pole position in the playoff race. It was the Pistons' 19th straight loss, falling to 2-20 overall. They are on pace for seven wins this season, which would be the lowest total in an 82-game season in NBA history.

There’s no simple explanation for why the Pistons, in their fourth year of a full rebuild under general manager Troy Weaver, have regressed to this extent. Last year’s 17-win team appeared to be rock bottom. This team would have to improve a fair bit to reach 17. The losing has seemingly become ingrained into the organization, which has dropped a whopping 43 of its past 47 games dating back to Feb. 10.

But it’s easy to see why the Magic are on track to significantly improve from last season’s 34-win finish: They take the defensive end of the floor seriously, and have the personnel to sustain it for 48 minutes.

The Pistons, to put it lightly, do not.

“They’re a good defensive team, but we had a lot of open looks tonight,” coach Monty Williams said after the loss. “I gotta look at the shot quality numbers to see how open. Give them credit, they’re a good defensive team. They take away the paint, they force you to play outside. We only generated 30 3s tonight, but the percentage just wasn’t there on the open ones. Just had a tough time putting the ball in the basket tonight.”

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The Magic are one of the NBA’s elite defensive teams this season, holding opposing offenses to 108.9 points per 100 possessions — the second-best mark in the league. Only the 17-4 Minnesota Timberwolves, the best team in the West, have been more stout.

There are many ways to build a good defense. Orlando has gone with a size-first approach, prioritizing length in drafting. Three of their starters Friday — Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze — stood at least 6 feet 10. Rookie Anthony Black, considered one of the strongest defenders in his class, also got the start.

It didn’t matter that the Magic were without three of their best defenders in Jonathan Isaac (a Defensive Player of the Year candidate when healthy), Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. “Next man up” doesn’t work for every team, but the rest of the team performed admirably and held the Pistons to 42% shooting.

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It’s a result of the team’s continuity, Williams said before the game. What isn’t clear is why the Pistons' own season-to-season continuity hasn’t led to any improvement.

Williams, of course, is a newcomer to the organization and can’t speak to previous seasons. Regardless, this season’s iteration of the team looks as though it started playing together recently.

“(The Magic) have continuity now,” Williams said, when asked what’s behind their defensive leap. “They’re young, but these young guys have been together for a few years and you can see it. They have willing defenders — guys who can guard the ball, that play in multiple efforts, and they just line them up. When somebody’s out there, bring somebody else in, they just fit into their system defensively. A lot of their guys can play full-court defense and get into your clock a little bit, and then they have big, strong guys that can switch.

“They’ve been in a system, a few of them now, for three years. And you can see the continuity, you can see how they help each other and they know the rotations. It speaks to what Jamahl (Mosley) has been able to do with his staff, and the continuity of keeping young guys in the same program.”

Defense has been at the forefront of Weaver’s mind since he was hired in June 2020. He made it known once again this summer, and on media day before the season. Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser were drafted to add tenacity to that end of the floor. The expectation was that internal growth, along with hiring Williams (for historic money) would help the team improve.

For three games, the Pistons appeared to buy in. They held their first three opponents below 104 points, and won two of those games.

They’ve slipped significantly since, giving up at least 120 points in five of their past nine games. Their defensive rating — 117.1 — ranks 24th overall, their third season in a row ranking in the bottom seven.

Jalen Duren’s injury issues this season have weakened the team on that end. The second-year center was tenacious early on, tallying eight blocks in his first three games. But ankle issues have since limited his explosiveness. Friday was his eighth game missed this season with an ankle injury.

The Pistons' other centers, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman, aren’t nearly as good defensively. Isaiah Stewart is the team’s best post defender along with Duren, but he has spent most of his time at power forward and has been tasked with chasing players along the perimeter.

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It’s a personnel issue, but also a want-to issue. The Pistons have simply lacked the energy and execution necessary to limit opposing teams. Williams has noted the team lacks fight. That’s a tough issue to solve, especially this early in the season.

The Magic have cracked the code, and are reaping the rewards. Friday highlighted just how much more work the Pistons have to do to get there.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons flatlined while Orlando Magic rose up. What happened?